Hero of the Soviet Union (twice), holder of three highest awards of the Motherland, Orders of Lenin, Viktor Petrovich Savinykh spent just over 252 days in space. The pilot-cosmonaut in the world list of space explorers is number 100.
Childhood and youth of the future cosmonaut
Viktor Petrovich Savinykh, USSR cosmonaut number 50, was born in the small village of Berezkiny, which is located on the banks of the small river Prudishche in the Orichevsky district of the Kirov region. On March 7, 1940, in the family of collective farmers Pyotr Kuzmich and Olga Pavlovna Savin, their first-born, Viktor, was born.
The only entertainment for the village children was picking up mushrooms and berries, as well as trips to the Bystryaga railway station, where trains to the regional center stopped for a short time. After graduating from high school in the village of Tarasovy, which is located 12 km from the village of Berezkiny, Viktor Petrovich Savinykh entered the technical school of railway transport in Perm in 1957.
Service in the railway troops
Having received a "red" diploma and the speci alty of a travel technician, a younga person is sent by the foreman of the 6th distance of the Sverdlovsk railway. After seven months of work, the guy is drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. So, Viktor Savinykh becomes a soldier of the railway troops. Senior sergeant, assistant chief of the railway, V. P. Savinykh participates in the construction of the 375-kilometer section of the Ivdel-Ob railway, which is of great strategic importance for connecting the taiga territories of Siberia with the main highways of the Soviet Union.
Study in Moscow
The long three years were not in vain for the future conqueror of space. Having received the military speci alty of a topographer, Viktor Petrovich predetermines his future path in life. In 1963, having been demobilized from the ranks of the Armed Forces, another student appeared in the country - Viktor Petrovich Savinykh.
MIIGAiK, or the Moscow Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Photography and Cartography, becomes his alma mater. Lenin Scholar, Deputy Chairman of the Komsomol organization of the Optical and Mechanical Faculty of MIIGAiK, Viktor Petrovich Savinykh graduated with honors from a higher educational institution in 1969 and was sent to work at the Central Experimental Design Bureau of General Mechanical Engineering, now the Energy Research and Production Association.
Savinykh Viktor Petrovich: biography of a scientist
V. P. Savinykh devoted more than 20 years of his life to the system development of control and automation of orbital stations, stationary platforms and spacecraft, going from an ordinary engineer toproject manager. All optical instruments for the Salyut orbital stations and Soyuz spacecraft were designed with his direct participation. In 1985, on the basis of NPO Energia, Viktor Petrovich defended his scientific work on the topic "Orientation of spacecraft in near-Earth orbit" and became a candidate of technical sciences.
Cosmonaut squad
After completing a full course of general space and physical training, V. P. Savinykh is enlisted in the Soviet cosmonaut corps. This momentous event took place in December 1978. The next ten years were the most significant in the fate of Viktor Petrovich. Three times he was lucky to observe our planet from the Salyut orbital stations, spending a total of just over 252 days in outer space.
Outside planet Earth
On May 26, 1981 Soyuz T-4 completed its space flight. Crew:
- B. V. Kovalyonok is the captain of the space ship.
- B. P. Savinykh - onboard engineer of the orbital station.
Working under the Interkosmos program, research cosmonauts from Mongolia and Syria were present at the orbital station. The crew spent just under 75 days off Earth.
The radio call sign "Pamir-2" became a second name for the flight engineer V. P. Savinykh, when he, together with the captain of the spacecraft V. A. expedition to the Salyut-7 orbital station. According to the flight program Viktor Petrovich for 5hours was outside the cosmic "home". The total duration of the flight exceeded 168 days.
The third time Viktor Petrovich experienced cosmic happiness was in 1988. The crew of the ten-day flight on the Soyuz TM-5 spacecraft was international:
- A. Y. Solovyov (USSR) – captain.
- B. P. Savinykh (USSR) – plant engineer.
- A. Alexandrov (Bulgaria) – cosmonaut-researcher.
These three flights were awarded by the Motherland, the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Mongolian People's Republic. Two Golden Star awards of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Hero of the N. R. Bulgaria medal and the highest honorary title of Mongolia - Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic today adorn the lapel of the civil suit of cosmonaut No. 100 in the international list of astronauts.
The fate of the astronaut
Viktor Petrovich Savinykh ended his space career in 1989, having left the Space Brotherhood unit of his own free will. He devotes the next stage of his life to science and teaching, being the rector of his native university MIIGAiK. The position of rector was assigned to V. P. Savinykh until May 2007, when the 66-year-old candidate refused to stand as a candidate for the post of head of a higher educational institution in Moscow. The social and political activities of a man who has observed the Earth three times through the porthole of a space ship, causes delight and admiration.
In addition to numerous awards from the government of the USSR, the Russian Federation and foreign countries, V. P. Savinykh also has a publicappreciation. Here is just a small track record of the social and political activities of this "cosmic" person:
- People's Deputy of the USSR in 1989-1991.
- Honored Master of Sports in Modern Pentathlon.
- President of the Swimming Sports Federation and at the same time a judge of the Republican category.
- Chief editor and publisher of the almanac "Space in Russia".
- Co-Chairman of the Association of Russian Higher Education Institutions.
- Honorary Member of the Union of Philatelists of the Russian Federation.
- Author of more than ten popular science books on astronautics.
- Honorary citizen of the cities of Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
- In the city of Kirov, fellow countrymen erected a bust to the cosmonaut.
- An asteroid is named after the man who conquered space three times.
Today, the former rector can be seen in the capital's swimming pool or on the tennis court. Viktor Savinykh's love for sports has been preserved since his youth. In addition, the Soviet cosmonaut is a wonderful husband and father. Living with his wife, Lilia Alekseevna, for almost 50 years, he raised his daughter Valentina (b. 1968), who gave them a granddaughter, Elizabeth (b. 1996), and two grandchildren: Ilya (b. 1990) and Arseniy (born in 2007).
Granddaughter of Viktor Petrovich Savinykh
The personal life of famous people and their relatives has always been a topic of conversation among "non-cosmic" people. The cosmonaut V. P. Savinykh, or rather, his close relative, was no exception. Recently insensational news appeared in the yellow press that eighteen-year-old Liza Antipova, a student at the theater institute and granddaughter of cosmonaut Viktor Petrovich Savinykh, is dating the star of the popular Russian TV series “Capercaillie” - Maxim Averin.
For lovers of various sensations, this news really deserves attention. However, each of us has the right to manage our own personal lives as we see fit.
